The Abomination of Desolation
Biblical prophecy concerning the end times has always been an area of great discussion and study. Many interpretations of the scriptures have been birthed concerning the arrival of the “antichrist”, the man of sin, in these last days. Many interpretations concerning the identity of exactly what the “abomination of desolation” is and what is its role in the last days have also been put forth. Consider this then my own interpretation of what the abomination that makes desolate is and how I arrived at my conclusions.
We find the words “ abomination” and “desolate or desolation” mentioned together in four different scripture verses in the holy bible.
DANIEL 11:31
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
MATTHEW 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
MARK 13:14
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
When the words abominable, desolate and desolation are translated from their original Hebrew or Greek meaning we get this. Abomination: detestable thing/idol, abominable thing, detested thing. An idol is a false god. Desolation: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy, be deflowered, be deserted, awestruck, to devastate, to ravage, be astounded, to cause oneself ruin lay waste, to ruin, bring to desolation, bring to naught, to despoil one, strip her of her treasures. In a nutshell so to speak we have a “detestable thing that makes ruin”, a “detestable thing that makes waste”, “a detestable thing that brings something to naught or makes it nothing.” It is important to notice the wording that is used to describe the action of the abomination; it makes something desolate. This entails that there is an action that must take place by the abomination to make something desolate. So what exactly is the abomination? It may help to better understand the timeline how the abomination comes into the picture.
MATTHEW 24:15-24
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
MATTHEW 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be
MARK 13:14-20
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
MARK 13:19
For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
DANIEL 12:11
And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
It is important to highlight the words “then let them”, because this implies an action the “believers” are to take when they “see” the abomination stand in the holy place, and this action is to flee to the mountains. This fleeing is because there is going to be from that time forward greater tribulation and greater affliction added to an already chaotic spiritual climate. The “standing” of the abomination marks the ending of the time of sorrows and the beginning of the time of the great tribulation. The prophet Daniel also lets us know that there will be 1290 days till something is supposed to happen, but more significant is the fact that the abomination that makes desolate marks the beginning of the 1290 day countdown. Also of great importance in the above scriptures is the way that the abomination will be presented. Jesus tells us that it is going to “stand in the holy place” and it will be “standing where it ought not to”. To “stand” and “standing” mean to cause or make to stand; to place, put, set, to make firm, fix, establish; to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place. Daniel tells us that it will be “set up” and that they will “place” it. To be “set” up and to place is to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, and dedicate. It is apparent by the definitions of these four words that they all interconnect. Please bear with me a little in my folly, for with continued study I believe you will better understand my application of the four words and how they directly relate to the setting up, placing and standing of a man which we know more commonly as the man of sin, the son of perdition, the vile person, the little horn, the Wicked one, the false prophet, and the antichrist.
Jesus instructs us that when we see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place, we need to understand this. So this requires that we go to the book of Daniel and study the scriptures for ourselves to see what Daniel the prophet spoke of.
DANIEL 11:36
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
(Exalt #7311 ruwm {room}= to raise, lift, lift up, take up, set up, erect, exalt, set on high)
DANIEL 11:37
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
(Magnify #1431 gadal {gaw-dal'}= to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things, to magnify oneself)
II THESSALONIANS 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
(Revealed #601 apokalupto {ap-ok-al-oop'-to}= to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up; disclose, make bare, to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown)
II THESSALONIANS 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
There is a king that is mentioned in Daniel 11:36 and by study of the whole 11th chapter you will find that this king is from a line of rulers from the north. And by careful study of the chapter it becomes apparent how this king came to the position that was set up for him. It is then necessary to concentrate on the 11 chapter of Daniel in order to better understand 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and other significant bible verses that will come into play on down the line of this study.
DANIEL 11:21
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
(Vile #959 bazah {baw-zaw'} = to despise, hold in contempt, disdain, regard with contempt, to be despicable, worthless)
This vile person will come into the picture when the previous king is somehow destroyed and loses his place of authority. (It is the opinion of this author that the previous king will be the victim of a smear and slander campaign.) Because he will not be given the throne and power of the kingdom, the honor of the kingdom, he will use one of his most deceptive tools, flatteries, to obtain the kingdom.
DANIEL 11:22
And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
DANIEL 11:23
And after the league [made] with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
It seems every deceptive wicked person needs the support of somebody to further strengthen their cause. This despicable person is first going to destroy the ruler of the current alliance (covenant) along with the covenant and will make a new alliance with somebody else to use their support to become strong and then use the art of deception in ally with these supporters to further his agenda.
DANIEL 11:24
He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do [that] which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: [yea], and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
It is practical to assume that in the early days of this king that the world would be in a time of severe hardships, and this assumption is not to difficult to imagine provided the instability of today’s economic conditions. Any man that is sympathetic to the needs of depressed and oppressed people can guarantee himself favorable support from those people because he presents himself as someone who puts their needs above his own. Couple this sentiment with a man, that will not only give freely to a hungry and destitute people, but will do so by giving them the spoils of his military campaigns. (It is once again the opinion of the author that this power ploy will take place during the time of sorrows.) What better way to gain the people then give them what they will be destitute of and make them believe that they have someone who understands their plight? What a way to precondition the hearts and minds of natural brute beasts. No wonder the bible say’s that they are made to be taken and destroyed.
DANIEL 11:25
And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
DANIEL 11:26
Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
DANIEL 11:27
And both these kings' hearts [shall be] to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end [shall be] at the time appointed.
DANIEL 11:28
Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart [shall be] against the holy covenant; and he shall do [exploits], and return to his own land.
It appears by the layout of the scriptures that the king of the north is going to go to war with the king of the south once again. These two kings will sit down together to possibly come up with a peaceable solution to their war against each other, but as we know there is no honor among thieves. The king of the south will not be able to withstand the attack of the king of the north and those who are of the kingdom with the king of the south will destroy their own king. After the defeat of the king of the south, the king of the north will return into his own land, but his heart will be against the “holy covenant”. We will examine this holy covenant a little later in this study.
DANIEL 11:29
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
DANIEL 11:30
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
The vile king of the north will once again seek to advance on the kingdom of the south, but the ships, the navy of Kittim or a navy that is stationed at Kittim (what is now known as Cyprus) will come out against him and most likely act as a blockade and cause him to turn back. Upon his return, this wicked king will have indignation against the holy covenant. Indignation means to be angry, to curse, to be defiant and to abhor something. Do you remember that it also said in verse 28 that his heart was against the holy covenant? Why is this vile king so indignant against those who keep the holy covenant? Though the scriptures do not clearly explain his anger towards the holy covenant, it can be safely assumed that those who belong to the holy covenant are seriously preventing this vile king from carrying out his quest for conquest and power by possibly exposing his corruption and his agenda for global domination. So what is the holy covenant? Once again we must search out the scriptures for the answers.
JEREMIAH 31:31
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
JEREMIAH 31:32
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
JEREMIAH 31:33
But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
HEBREWS 8:8
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
HEBREWS 8:9
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
HEBREWS 8:11
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
HEBREWS 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
HEBREWS 8:13
In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away.
HEBREWS 12:24
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of] Abel.
A covenant of any kind is a treaty, an alliance, an agreement and a league about something. It is between two or more parties and creates a bond between the parties. The word of God tells us of two covenants that God had created with Israel. The first covenant was strictly for the nation of Israel born after the flesh, but the second covenant is for the people of God born after the Spirit, those to whom Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior and have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That first Israel born after the flesh is the same Israel that rejected the Messiah Jesus Christ and continues to this day to live after the manner of the old covenant which is according to the law. The bible tells us that there were two manner of people born from the seed of Isaac, that being Jacob (Israel) and Esau. Esau the firstborn is the one who sold his birthright, just as natural Israel the firstborn sold their birthright when they rejected Jesus Christ has the prophesied savior to come, that they could keep their own traditions, laws and customs. What better way for the man of sin, the son of perdition, the vile person, the little horn, the Wicked one to enter onto the scene by using natural Israel and their rejection of Jesus Christ to do so.
DANIEL 11:30
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
DANIEL 11:31
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
DANIEL 11:32
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].
Because of the opposition of those who are of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, the wicked vile king will have intelligence, or a dialogue with those who have forsaken the holy covenant. I submit to you dear reader that those who are the ones who have forsaken the holy covenant are those of “natural Israel”. It is those that we know as natural “Jews” who live in a region that they call Israel. Once again it is those who rejected the real Messiah and are still waiting for a Messiah which when he comes he shall be the false Messiah. What was the result of the intelligence that this vile king had with the leaders of the nation of Israel? Daniel 11:31 says arms shall stand on his part. Arms are simply military forces. This wicked king is a man of war. He has and continues to use the strength of his military to help accomplish his agenda. This wicked king’s kingdom, his realm of dominion is of this earthly kingdom. He will use his military arm to seize control of; what I believe is the city of Jerusalem. He has to seize it by force and with the aid of those on the inside because this is the only way that he will be given access to the city. This must be in order for scripture to be fulfilled and because of what Jesus tells us in the book of Luke.
(Jesus said that if his kingdom was of this earth, than would his servants fight.)
LUKE 21:20
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
LUKE 21:21
Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
LUKE 21:22
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Notice how Jesus said that when we see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, that the desolation thereof would be nigh? What desolation do you suppose that he was talking about? Of course it has to be the abomination of desolation that was spoken of in Matthew and Mark’s accounts. Also notice that Jesus says to flee to the mountains after this takes place? This must needs be in order for this man of sin to help complete his agenda.
DANIEL 11:31
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
DANIEL 11:32
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].
There is definite and overpowering need for the man of sin to have seized Jerusalem, and this is necessary so that those in which he had intelligence with can institute and carry out their mission for this imposter. It is they whom he will continue to deceive because he will corrupt them by the very tool he used in the beginning of his reign, that being flatteries. It is they because they are of the nation of natural Israel and the man of sin will take his seat in the city of Jerusalem. It is they, those who are not of the holy covenant, those who are of natural Israel who continue to have themselves placed under the old covenant, those who say that the prophesies written about in the book of Isaiah concerning the Messiah to come have not been fulfilled. It is they who shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, take away the daily and set up, place and make to stand the abomination. What is the sanctuary of strength, and the daily? Once again we must search the scriptures.
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and [let] him [be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your dread.
ISAIAH 8:14
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
ISAIAH 8:15
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
(Isaiah 8:15 is clearly talking about a major deception and the results of being deceived.)
PSALMS 73:17
Until I went into the sanctuary of God; [then] understood I their end.
PSALMS 77:13
Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary: who [is so] great a God as [our] God?
The definition of sanctuary is a sacred place and a holy place, a temple for God to dwell in. The sanctuary of God is a place where we get understanding. God’s way, or Gods manner, his direction, his course of life is found in the sanctuary. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 24:15 that when we see the abomination of desolation stand in the “holy place”, or to substitute himself in the place of the sanctuary of strength which is Jesus Christ, to understand and flee. The man of sin will require that the people of the world, and especially the saints, put their trust and commitment towards him and make him our strength. We, as born again believers have made our God and our King our sanctuary of strength. The word strength, as joined with the word sanctuary in Daniel 11:31, means a place of refuge, safety and protection and the conclusion is a “holy place of refuge and safety”. The book of Psalms repeatedly admonishes the reader that we make God our refuge and place of protection and safety. Daniel 11:32 says they that do know their God shall be strong and do. We abide in Him, and He abides in us. He has written his laws in our hearts and minds by the way of a new and everlasting covenant. The definition of daily is continuity. Continuity is unity and oneness and being of one mind and one accord in Christ Jesus. It is the unchanging quality and the consistent whole that knit God’s remnant together.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
PHILIPPIANS 1:28
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
This is the very fiber that gives power to the holy people, the power that the man of sin will attempt to scatter by a declaration of war against the saints.
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, [many] days.
(It’s the people that shall fall, not those who have the understanding.)
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
And [some] of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make [them] white, [even] to the time of the end: because [it is] yet for a time appointed.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished.
So those who are of natural Israel after the flesh, in one union and one accord with this man of sin, will place him and make him to stand as the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah the prophet, and will declare him to the whole world that this is the Messiah that is for to come. And because of this abomination that they have placed they will effectually remove the one true Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the sanctuary of our strength, and our unity and oneness can be no more under this Wicked one, because it will be he that will have to have all the worship, glory and honor of all the inhabitants of this world. When Jesus walked this earth, the scribes and Pharisees and religious leaders of the that day many times demanded that Jesus show them a sign from heaven, or proof of where his authority derived from and if he was truly sent from God. Remember, the scribes and Pharisees knew the scriptures, and how the scriptures foretold by the prophets of a coming messiah, a coming king after the line of David who would rule Israel again. Because they rejected Jesus as the prophesied Messiah to come, this rejection, according to their understanding, would leave the prophecies unfulfilled! Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit openly revealed for all to hear of the real motives of the scribes and Pharisees and their forefathers.
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it].
If Jesus had not revealed to the people the real heresies and false doctrines of the scribes and Pharisees, and had not rebuked them openly and made fools out of them in front of the people, they would have no doubt received Jesus as the prophesied king. Jesus was to them a stumbling block and a rock of offense (Isaiah 8:14). It is quite a reasonable suggestion to believe that the scribes and Pharisees believed that the Messiah that was prophesied to come would surely give them a place of prominence in the new kingdom because of their so called self righteous and holy views of themselves. But because Jesus did just the opposite of their expectations and openly showed the people the fraud of these men, they, motivated by fear of loss of their so called position among the nation of Israel, tried to tempt Jesus into proving the validity of who he was by showing them a sign from heaven, thereby attempting to prove to the people that this man was an imposter.
MATTHEW 12:38
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
MATTHEW 12:39
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
MATTHEW 16:1
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
MATTHEW 16:2
He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, [It will be] fair weather: for the sky is red.
MATTHEW 16:3
And in the morning, [It will be] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O [ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not [discern] the signs of the times?
MATTHEW 16:4
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
MARK 8:11
And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
MARK 8:12
And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
And others, tempting [him], sought of him a sign from heaven.
LUKE 11:29
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
(The sign of Jonas the prophet, or the three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, was the resurrection from the dead! The same resurrection that natural Israel dismissed as some trick.)
I CORINTHIANS 1:22
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
I CORINTHIANS 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
Isn’t it something how Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:22 how that the Jews “require” a sign? Based on these requirements by the Jews that there be a sign from heaven to help prove the validity of someone claiming to be the prophesied returned Messiah and King of Israel, it is more clearly evident how this will help the antichrist to validate his claim and authenticity before the nation of natural Israel, Jerusalem, and her people.
DANIEL 8:23
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
DANIEL 8:24
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
(Policy #7922 sekel: Cunning, crafty. Craft #4820 mirmah: treachery, deceit.)
MATTHEW 24:24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
MARK 13:22
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.
II THESSALONIANS 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
II THESSALONIANS 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
II THESSALONIANS 2:9
[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
(The word “horn” in Greek, #2768 keras, means “animals (especially bulls) that defend themselves with their horns, the horn with the Hebrews (and other nations) is a symbol of strength and courage, and used as such in a variety of phrases; a mighty and valiant helper, the author of deliverance, of the Messiah.”)
REVELATION 13:12
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
REVELATION 13:13
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
REVELATION 13:14
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
We know by study of the scriptures that we are in the last days of the reign and rule of Satan as the prince of this present evil world. It is during the course of the last days of the kingdom of Satan that the man of sin is to be revealed to the whole world. Satan incarnate. The manifestation of an evil spiritual being in the body of a man. When is the man of sin, Satan in the flesh, be revealed?
II THESSALONIANS 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
II THESSALONIANS 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
II THESSALONIANS 2:5
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
II THESSALONIANS 2:6
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
II THESSALONIANS 2:7
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
II THESSALONIANS 2:9
[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
It is written three times in the above passages that the man of sin, the son of perdition, that Wicked would be revealed, (made known or manifest) but only after something else happened. Paul said that he told the church at Thessalonica that there was something that was to be withheld, and that the thing that was to be withheld was withheld (restrained, held back, detained) until the “he” in verse 7 was taken out of the way. The “he” in verse 7 was also the one who was responsible for the restraining or withholding. It was only after that the “he” was taken out of the way that the Wicked one was revealed, not before. There was a definite progression of events that lead up to the man of sin, the son of perdition being revealed as God to the inhabitants of the world. I therefore submit unto you that the “he” in verse 7 that allowed himself to be taken out of the way and cut off was in fact Jesus. Jesus, the word of God, can never be taken out of the hearts and minds of his people (the new covenant), and he promised that he would never leave us or forsake us, so what is meant by Jesus being taken out of the way? Simply that the time had come for the man of sin to be revealed and that Jesus had to allow the antichrist and the inhabitants of the world to do away with any connection to the name of Jesus Christ, the Gospels and the New Testament writings, because as we already know, they who say they are Jews but are not emphatically deny any existence of Jesus and what we understand to be the New Testament writings. As we have heard it prophesied by Pastor Charles Dowell many years ago, that the name of Jesus would become a “curse word” to the people of the world. It already is to the false Israelites living in the nation of Israel, and is quickly being destroyed in the sacred name circles. There is also an all out assault against the holy bible. How many times and in how many different forms has the inspired word of God been altered and changed in recent years. It is obvious to any one with awareness that there is a purposeful and planned movement to alter the truth of the word of God from any form of conviction and judgment against sin and iniquity. How many of the books have already been removed from the original collection, and how many of the books currently in the bible are under attack as to their authenticity? Is not it amazing though that most of the focus is geared toward the New Testament writings? The book of 1 John say’s that in the last time there would be many “antichrists” and that they would go out from us, because they were not all of us. That statement pretty much covers all of the religious world!
We will now deal with the “desolate” side of the abomination that makes desolate. As I had said earlier, desolate is to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy, be deflowered, be deserted, awestruck, to devastate, to ravage, be astounded, to cause oneself ruin, lay waste, to ruin, bring to desolation, bring to naught, to despoil one, strip her of her treasures. The abomination, or the Wicked one as we now know this to be, shall be the one responsible who will make something waste, something ruin, something brought to naught. The big question is “what” this something is. We can be fully assured that the antichrist will bring to pass the complete erasure of any and all remaining references to Jesus Christ, the gospels and of the New Testament writings. My sincere belief is that when natural Israel proclaims to the whole world that the (false) Messiah has returned in fulfillment with the prophesy, that this false Messiah will also present before the people of the world, his people, a “new covenant”. This will be the alliance that he will have with the people of the world and this new covenant will contain the new laws that are to govern all of mankind. This line of thinking only makes sense because if Christ (the Messiah) had not yet been manifest to the nation of Israel and the world (as is currently the belief by natural Israel), then based on the writings of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, a new covenant has to be given to the “people” of God in fulfillment of the scriptures according to prophesy. What I also firmly believe is that the desolation will not be a one-time occurrence that deals with only one thing, but rather a series of many events that target anything to do at all with the real King of Kings and the real Lord of Lords. It is desolations, each episode designed to further remove any trace of the name of Jesus from off the face of the earth.
DANIEL 7:25
And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 8:11
Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
And an host was given [him] against the daily [sacrifice] by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
This man of sin, the little horn will not only think to change times and laws, but he will also use this newly established set of laws to claim that those of the unity are in transgression against the new laws and use this as the justification to scatter and destroy the holy people. Also note how that this man of sin in Daniel 8:12 cast down the truth to the ground. This is a clear indication of the intent of the son of perdition to do concerning the truth of God. The bible makes this clear that the little horn will make war with the saints and overcome them, the remnant of the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth. The antichrist will attempt to bring to pass that the whole world would worship him.
DANIEL 7:21
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
REVELATION 13:7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
There is a scripture in Daniel 9 that says that there is an “he” who would confirm the “covenant” with many for one week and I believe that this “he” is not Jesus Christ as is thought and taught by many, but this “he” is actually the man of sin. The “he” is the one who will confirm the covenant with the many people is the prince of the people, not the prince of spiritual Israel. The word prince is used to mean a person who has the authority or rule over other people. The bible tells us in the book of John in chapter’s 12, 14, and 16, and in Ephesians 2 that there is a “prince of this world”, and the apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth about the “god” (or ruler) of this world. The new covenant with God and his people is to date about 2,000 years old. The “one-week” in Daniel chapter 9 points to a 7-year period, so this covenant spoken of in Daniel 9:27 could only be a total of seven years old. Also note that this “he” cannot be the Messiah, seeing that he will have been already “cut off” before the 70th week transpires. . In addition, Daniel 9:26 say’s that the “people” of this prince shall come and destroy the city and the “sanctuary”. The destruction of the temple, the sanctuary, was probably the root cause as to why the sacrifice and oblation ceased, simply because there was no temple in which to fulfill the sacrificial rites and ceremonies.
DANIEL 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
It is also this author’s belief that the “mark of the beast” is the seal of agreement and acceptance of the new unholy covenant and its unholy laws between the people of this world and their new god, just as God has sealed those who are his with the seal of the Holy Ghost. This will be the identifier that will fulfill the new covenant and it’s new laws between the “antichrist Messiah” and his people. As God said through the prophets of old that his new covenant with his people would be “in” their hearts and minds, so shall the mark of the beast be “in” the people of the kingdom of Satan.
REVELATION 13:16
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
This “mark” that the people of the earth will take is the name of the beast, which incidentally, has a number, and that being 666. God has a small people that are called by his name, so it should come as no surprise that the beast would have the whole of earth called by his name.
REVELATION 14:9
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
REVELATION 14:10
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The devil as always attempted to mimic what and how God does things. God has in the past, and will again in the near future “mark” his people, who he preserves in times of great judgment.
EZEKIEL 9:4
And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
EZEKIEL 9:5
And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom [is] the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house.
EZEKIEL 9:7
And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
REVELATION 7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
REVELATION 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
DANIEL 9:16
O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people [are become] a reproach to all [that are] about us.
DANIEL 9:20
And whiles I [was] speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
ISAIAH 66:20
And they shall bring all your brethren [for] an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
JOEL 2:1
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand;
JOEL 3:17
So shall ye know that I [am] the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
The bible not only referred to Jerusalem as the “holy mountain” but also God’s “holy hill” If one looks up the definition of mountain they would find that it also means, “hill”.
PSALMS 2:6
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
What the question should be then is why would God allow the destruction of his “holy mountain” Jerusalem, seeing that this was his holy place? What were the events that transpired that would bring this to pass?
MATTHEW 23:35
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
MATTHEW 23:36
Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
MATTHEW 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!
MATTHEW 23:38
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
MATTHEW 23:39
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
LUKE 19:41
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
LUKE 19:42
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
LUKE 19:43
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
LUKE 19:44
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
REVELATION 17:6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
REVELATION 18:20
Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
REVELATION 18:24
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
God’s pronouncement of judgment on Jerusalem is clear. Matthew 23:35 and Rev. 18:24 state that “all” the blood of the righteous that were slain upon the earth would come upon her, and that being Jerusalem. So now that we have established the “why” Jerusalem would become desolate and destroyed, when will this destruction come? I believe that it will come at the very end of the final days of the great tribulation and the following are my reasons why. As we just went over, Jerusalem will be destroyed because of all the rejection and murder of all the men that God had sent unto her to testify against her and her inhabitant’s evil and wicked ways. I conclude that this list of holy men who were sent of God will finish with the two final witnesses, the last two prophets written about in the 11th chapter of the book of Revelation’s who too shall be killed in the streets of that wicked city.
REVELATION 11:1
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months.
(Tread: To treat with insult and contempt: to desecrate the holy city by devastation and outrage.)
REVELATION 11:3
And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
REVELATION 11:7
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
REVELATION 11:8
And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
It would stand to reason that if Jerusalem would of suffered the destruction and complete desolation at the beginning of the great tribulation, then there would have been no city and no inhabitants left to prophesy to. Jesus also said that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of his coming. And Jesus goes on to tell us that during the course of those days that the people of the earth were basically going on with business as usual, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the destruction came. So shall it also be in the city of Jerusalem.
REVELATION 17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
REVELATION 17:2
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
REVELATION 17:3
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
REVELATION 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
REVELATION 17:5
And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
REVELATION 17:6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
REVELATION 17:7
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
REVELATION 17:18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
As we can see by the afore mentioned scriptures that there is a woman who is called “Babylon” and this woman Babylon is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. What is the name of this great city?
REVELATION 11:8
And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Everyone knows by the accounts written in the gospels that Jesus was crucified at Jerusalem, that great city that Jesus wept over and God called his holy mountain, the city that God held personally responsible for the death of all the saints and martyrs and prophets, that great city Babylon-Jerusalem. In Babylon-Jerusalem, as it was in the days of Noah, the people of that great city were going on with business as usual and then came their destruction in one hour. There are three main points to remember to help better establish a time line, one being that there are ten kings that were directly responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and these ten kings are the kings that received power from the beast for one hour.
REVELATION 17:16
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
REVELATION 17:17
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
REVELATION 18:8
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.
These scriptures show that the beast was already in power and that these kings joined with it. The second thing is the fact that Jerusalem, being the haven for every wicked and filthy abomination and the place that the gentiles will tread under, will be the center of great merchandising. Jerusalem will become the Mecca of the merchant world. According to Revelation 13:17 no man my buy or sell save he that had the mark, name or number of the beast. In order for men to buy and sell in the streets of Jerusalem they would have to have agreed to the system already in place in order to carry out their merchandising. And the other key point is contained in the chapter of the seven vials.
REVELATION 16:17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
REVELATION 16:18
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great.
REVELATION 16:19
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
REVELATION 16:20
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
REVELATION 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
The seventh angel with the seventh vial was the last of the angels to pour out its destruction on the earth. The contents of this angels vial divided the great city Babylon into three parts and the remembrance of her came before God and he gave her the fierceness of his wrath. The point is that this was the last of the seven angels, and this was the finale to all the other six vials. Babylon-Jerusalem’s desolation came at the end of the vials, the last act of God’s wrath before the final war at Megiddo.
(In the account of the seventy weeks of Daniel, chapter 9 verse 26 tells us that the “people” (and not the prince of the people) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. What is missing is the “when” this shall happen. What makes it difficult in using this verse is that it has been and still is commonly taught that this event has already happened when Nebuchadnezzer destroyed Jerusalem. It is very important to see that the destruction of the city, which is Jerusalem, had happened before the Messiah came and will happen again after the Messiah is cut off! Thusly, this is the reason that a commandment came forth to rebuild the wall and the street. The end of the city and the sanctuary will come as a flood from a war, and until the war is over utter destruction and ruin and annihilation will come.)
The prophet Zechariah also records the final siege of Jerusalem.
ZECHARIAH 14:1
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
ZECHARIAH 14:2
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
ZECHARIAH 14:3
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
The return of the Lord Jesus signals the end of the reign of this imposter king, the king of Babylon (Jerusalem), who ruled on this earth as a man but under the complete indwelling and possession of Satan. What is the end of king of Babylon? Isaiah the Prophet was given the prophecy of this end long, long ago.
ISAIAH 14:4
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
Though the scripture does not directly say that the king of Babylon dwells in the golden city that is also mentioned in this verse, it could be safely assumed that this would be the case. The verse says that the "oppressor ceased" who would have been the king and the "city ceased" along with the rule and reign of the king. One could also argue that this golden city is Babylon, where historically Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon ruled. What is reality is that nowhere in the bible does it ever directly give the name of the "golden city". According to the 18th chapter of the book of Revelation, the "great whore" or "Mystery Babylon" which is set atop the back of the beast is "decked with gold". We find out later in that same chapter that the woman is a "great city" that is surrounded by seven mountains or hills, which Babylon the city ruled by Nebuchanezzar never was. In Revelation 11, it is tells us about a "great city" which is likened spiritually unto Sodom and Egypt and where also our Lord died. Everyone knows that the city where our Lord died is Jerusalem! Also, there is an event recorded in the book of Ezekiel of God’s judgment against Jerusalem. The scriptures in Ezekiel 16 tell us that God himself decked her with gold and silver.
EZEKIEL 16:2
Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
EZEKIEL 16:12
And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
EZEKIEL 16:13
Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment [was of] fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
EZEKIEL 16:14
And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it [was] perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
So by using line upon line and precept upon precept and understanding prophecy, it is easy to understand that the "golden city" spoken of in Isaiah 14:4 and in Ezekiel 16 is in fact Jerusalem.
REVELATION 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
ISAIAH 14:5
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, [and] the sceptre of the rulers.
ISAIAH 14:6
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] none hindereth.
It is clear how this king will rule this earth, and it is also clear that when his persecution comes from the Lord nothing will stand in the way of that persucution.
ISAIAH 14:9
Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet [thee] at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, [even] all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
The king of Babylon, the flesh and blood part, will be separated from its host, which is Satan the spirit. The man, the false prophet, along with the beast will be cast into the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone. Satan the spirit on the other hand will be bound by an angel and cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.
REVELATION 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
ISAIAH 14:11
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, [and] the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
ISAIAH 14:15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
ISAIAH 14:20
Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
REVELATION 20:1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
REVELATION 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
REVELATION 20:3
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
It is only after the Lord Jesus has returned will the people of this earth know and understand that this king who fashioned himself a god was nothing more than a man of flesh and blood like themselves.
All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
ISAIAH 14:16
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
ISAIAH 14:17
[That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?
Satan’s final motivation driven by the pride of his heart to become the god of this world and to be worshipped as the Almighty God is obvious according to the words of Isaiah the prophet and the apostle Paul.
II THESSALONIANS 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
ISAIAH 14:12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
ISAIAH 14:13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
The above verse tells us that Lucifer, or Satan as he is now known, desired to “sit” upon the mount of the congregation. Sitting is indicative of someone who has rule, such as a “sitting” president or a sitting king. The place where they sit is the place from which they will rule. We already now that God refers to Jerusalem as his “Holy Mountain”, and I believe that this description reflects the earthly Jerusalem as well as the new Jerusalem. What does the bible say in regards to the heavenly Jerusalem?
REVELATION 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
REVELATION 21:9
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
REVELATION 21:10
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
It is possible that Satan wanted the rule of the new Jerusalem in heaven, and when he failed at this attempt, he opted for the earthly Jerusalem to put his foot down has lord of the whole earth.
ISAIAH 14:14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Most unfortunate though is man’s refusal to love the only true and just Lord thy God. This refusal to repent and turn from sin and wickedness leaves God no choice but to destroy those that have and would oppose him including all those who bowed down and worshipped and served the beast and his false prophet.
ISAIAH 14:21
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
ISAIAH 14:22
For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.
ISAIAH 14:23
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
ISAIAH 14:24
The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand:
REVELATION 19:17
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
REVELATION 19:18
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great.
REVELATION 19:19
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
REVELATION 19:21
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 18:2
tell us by the voice of the angel that Babylon the great has “fallen”. The word fallen means to descend from a higher state to a lower state, but could the word fallen in this case mean that Babylon has finally come under the control of another, or fallen to an enemy? Why wouldn’t Satan desire to bring into his control Jerusalem of this earth and make this city the place where he will rule his fourth and last earthly kingdom? It only makes sense, seeing as such that Jerusalem is also the place that God called his holy mountain.
REVELATION 18:1
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
REVELATION 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
It is with the utmost fear of God that God’s people should move. We as a people are warned to remain sober and watching, so we do not get caught unawares and be swept away in the great delusion and deception coming upon the face of the whole earth. Jesus tells us in Luke 21:22 that “These be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” According to Jesus’ own words, there are things written that will tell us how these events will transpire. What must be understood is that when Jesus made this statement there was no “New Testament” yet written, so what he had to have been talking about was a written record already in place. That would leave it up to us to search out the record and study to better understand and perceive what are the events that constitute the last days, as to be fully aware of the great tribulation that will come upon the entire world. Let us lift up our heads and look up, for our redemption draweth nigh! Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Elder Doug Becker
Straitway
